"Pursue, keep up with, circle round and round your life, as dog does his master's chaise. Do what you love. Know your own bone, gnaw at it, bring it, unearth it, and gnaw it still." --Henry David Thoreau

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Monday, September 26, 2005

Being better OR Push the life

I have recently felt the need to be a more under control person. I can see the sheen of youth start to rust (at the tender age of 24), and I am trying to get my shit together. And by together, I mean continue to be a workaholic, but just go out less (be hungover until noon followed by a 6-1:00 HH).

It hasn’t been too much of a temptation lately. I’ve been pretty good about drinking with just a few friends and others and quietly slipping into an inside-drunk sleep. I have realized that my lack of going out can be attributed to two major things: 1) Lately my regular posse has been occupied with boyfriends, lovers and television and 2) I haven’t been listening to music lately.

Okay, so you probably get the first one. But music? Yeah, music.

This evening, I am working on a memo for a bunch of people at work. I was doing a good job with my ¾ bottle of wine and then to change it up, I put on my (dusty) mix CD. And, holy shit, I hear Missy or Kanye or Killers or Roots or Prince or JayZ, and I am restless to get sloppy in public.

It’s funny that music does really set the mood. Back in the early days of rock and roll, it must have been incredible as the fever of That's All Right Mama spread across the nation to impressionable teenagers and to the chagrin of parents. Elvis is violent in his rock, it’s sexy sure, but it makes you want to crawl the walls while everyone watches. Also while writing this memo, I was enjoying a little Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction. Even when Brit did that shit it was good. You can practically feel Mic's hot breath on the microphone.

I know it's partly the hard A or whatev. Feeling unchained those few hours a day is something. But, it's also the idea of unknown strangers, of meeting someone interesting and feeling so goddamn happy, you have to yalp to make sense of it. The city is alive every single fucking night and where are you? In front of a computer, a lover, a tv? Jesus, we have so few moment of freedom and life thrown our way, it's a wonder we can sit still at all. Because it all just goes away. All of it. All of us.

So when your lame friend starts rocking the “I’m sleepy” line or this cool chic you met really needs to take her bottom off to get the night rollin…just press play. And maybe pop some champagne because it never, never hurts and play that funky music, it helps it all sound so very good.